Imran Khan speaking to PBS
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Judy Woodruff:
Last thing.
I do want to ask you, just take just a moment to ask you about a comment you made about the role of women in your country. You said in an interview last month that women themselves bear a large part of the responsibility for the concerning rise in the number of rape cases in Pakistan.
I want to ask you if you truly believe that. I mean, you're someone, you have lived in the West. You have traveled widely around the world. Do you believe women bear a large part of the responsibility for this?
Imran Khan:
Look, Judy, anyone who commits rape, solely and solely, that person is responsible. So let's be clear about that.
No matter whatever — how much ever a woman is provocative or whatever she wears, the person who commits rape, he is fully responsible. Never is the victim responsible.
My comments were completely taken out of context. They were simply talking about Pakistan society, where we are having a rise, a sharp rise in sex crimes. And sex crime does not include just women. More than rape are child abuse, which is going through the roof.
So my comments were in that context. And it was — I used the word purdah. In Islam, purdah does not mean just clothes. And purdah is not restricted to women only, but that is for men as well. It means bringing the temptation down in a society.
This is what I was talking about. And it was taken out of — deliberately. And I have to say, because I know all the interviews I have given. Never would I say such a stupid thing where a person who's raped is responsible for somehow — it's always the rapist that is responsible.
Judy Woodruff:
Do you believe that — that the importance in your country of Islam complicates your ability to do something, to take a stronger stand against violence against women?
Imran Khan:
Absolutely not.
Islam gives dignity, respect to women. In fact, let me say, having traveled all over the world, I find that, in Muslim countries, in Pakistan, even in other Muslim countries I have seen, women having — far more treated with respect and given more dignity.
You have odd cases everywhere in the world, but you look at the situation in Pakistan even now, I mean, look at the rape cases here. Compare it to Western countries. They are minuscule compared to them.
Yes, we have our issues. We have some cultural problems. Every nation has that. But that comes with cultural evolution, with education. But, as far as a woman's dignity goes, respect, I can say, after going all over the world, this society gives more respect and dignity to women.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/u...istan-says-pakistan-prime-minister-imran-khan